Mattress support structures for health care applications, such as hospital beds, are generally provided with a mattress having air cushions. It is desirable to provide a mattress with air cushions that are as thick or tall as possible to provide maximum comfort and maximum mattress performance. The height of conventional air mattress are limited, however, by regulatory requirements relating to the minimum bed siderail height above the sleep surface of the mattress. In typical applications, the bed siderail height regulations effectively limit the overall mattress height to approximately six inches. A portion of this overall mattress height is used by a layer of foam or similar material placed on top of the air cushions. In health care settings, the use of sharp objects such as needles is common. As such, the mattress foam layer is desirable to protect the mattress air cushions from needle punctures and the consequent air loss of air cushions incorporated into the mattress.
Generally, the foam layer of conventional mattresses is approximately three inches thick, thereby reducing the maximum height of the air cushions to approximately three inches. This obviously reduces the performance of the mattress because the very thick foam layer attenuates the benefits that would otherwise be made available by a full height air mattress, without a foam layer. The expense for the air compressor, control valves, software, and hardware for operating the mattress are essentially fixed, regardless of the height of the air substrate. Thus, the reduced performance of the air substrate using a foam layer directly reduces the overall desirability of the mattress structure.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a mattress structure including air cushions that utilize the full height available under the applicable bed siderail regulations, but are resistance to punctures and air loss.